2014 - 2015 Archived ASW Listserv Communications

These are the messages shared on the ASW Listserv during 2014 - 2015. They are posted in reverse chronological order, so the most recent is first.

If you would like to see the current list of ASW Listserv messages, please go to ASW Listserv Communications, which can also be accessed by clicking on the Timeline link on the left-side navigation bar and viewing the top of the wikipage.

7.1.15 ASW Completion Update

Greetings,

As you know, the deadline for teachers to submit their Evidence Collections to the ASW Online Platform was Friday, June 19 at 5:00 p.m. After the deadline, the Online Platform was closed and teachers were unable to make any additional changes or submit their Evidence Collections.

NCDPI will collect information from districts on those teachers who were required to complete the ASW process. In the early fall, NCDPI will inform districts which teachers completed the ASW process and which teachers did not. Districts will need to communicate to NCDPI the reasons why teachers who were required to complete the process did not do so.

This information will be shared with the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education, at its discretion, will determine whether local education agencies (LEAs) will determine consequences for non-participation of eligible teachers, or whether the state will adopt policies regarding non-participation. Teachers who failed to complete the ASW process during the 2014-2015 school year will not receive a Standard 6 rating. The 3-year Standard 6 calculation for these teachers will begin in the 2015-2016 school year.

ADDENDUM: Teachers who were required to participate in 2014-2015 who did not complete the ASW Process will begin their Standard 6 calculation in the 2015-2016 school year but will not have the benefit of using their best 2 of 3 years' growth data. 6.12.15 ASW Updates and Reminders

Greetings,

Thank you to all (teachers and coordinators) who have been working so diligently these past couple of weeks on the Analysis of Student Work (ASW) process for Standard 6. As of today, over 3,300 Evidence Collections have been uploaded and are ready to be assigned for review, and another 2,100 Evidence Collections are well underway. This represents over half the Evidence Collections that need to be submitted by 5:00 p.m. next Friday, June 19, 2015.

2. If you have questions about the evidence upload step or the ASW platform, go to the Screencasts page (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts) on the ASW wiki. A 15-minute screencast on uploading evidence and two help guides with screenshots from the ASW platform were posted in late May.

3. If you have trouble viewing any part of the ASW platform, check your internet connection and/or try a different web browser.

For those who are already thinking about the ASW process for 2015 - 2016, please know that we need to close out the work of 2014-2015 by assigning Evidence Collections for review once they have been submitted by 5:00 p.m. next Friday, June 19, 2015. After reviewers have started their work, the ASW Team will update the wiki with a 2015-2016 timeline and begin revising the online modules and other resources for next year's implementation of the ASW process. Look for 2015-2016 information to be posted after the July 4th holiday weekend.

Greetings,Thank you to all the teachers who have begun the Student Selection and Evidence Upload steps in the online platform! Below are new updates and reminders regarding the ASW process.1. NEW Online Platform Training Screencast!

Help guides – PDF documents with instructive screenshots from the ASW Online platform for the Student Selection and Evidence Upload steps are also posted at the top of the Screencasts page of the ASW Wiki with their posting dates highlighted. (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts).

2. The ASW Wiki is a wealth of information for your Evidence Collection including specific information about file types you may upload, the differences between supporting documentation and evidence, and lots of great examples for you to review.

Teachers can now see which students have been selected for Individual Timelapse Artifacts (Whole Class Timelapse Artifacts do not require individual student selection) and begin uploading evidence to the online platform.

Teachers have until 5:00 p.m. on June 19, 2015 to submit their Evidence Collection.

Have a great weekend!JenJennifer DeNealEducator Human Capital Policy and ResearchProject CoordinatorPh. 919-807-3288Jennifer.DeNeal@dpi.nc.gov

5.22.15 ASW Updates and Reminders

Greetings,
I hope you’re all ready to enjoy a long and Happy Memorial Day weekend! In advance of the ASW Student Selection and Evidence Upload window opening next week, here are several important ASW reminders and updates:
1. Student Selection and Evidence Collection Window: May 26 – June 19 at 5:00 p.m. (extended)

Beginning on Tuesday, May 26th, teachers will be able to see which students have been selected for Individual Timelapse Artifacts (Whole Class Timelapse Artifacts do not require individual student selection) and begin uploading evidence to the online platform.

Teachers have until 5:00 p.m. on June 19, 2015 to submit their Evidence Collection.

2. Objective Corrections

Once a Teacher starts the Student Selection step, no changes can be made to the teacher’s objectives. It is very important that the teacher has correctly completed the objective selection BEFORE opening the Student Selection step.

If you received an email from DPI over the past few days informing you of changes needed to your objectives, please WAIT to open the Student Selection step until the changes have been made.

Help guides – PDF documents with instructive screenshots from the ASW Online platform for the Student Selection and Evidence Upload steps are also posted on the Screencasts page of the ASW Wiki. (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts).

In order to apply as a reviewer, you must be a fully licensed North Carolina educator with 5 or more years' experience in the content area(s) you wish to review.

If selected as a reviewer candidate, you must successfully complete virtual training provided by NCDPI and be available to review Evidence Collections virtually in summer 2015. Specifically, you must be available to review Evidence Collections during the months of June - early August. Depending on the volume of Evidence Collections, NCDPI cannot guarantee that every reviewer will be assigned Evidence Collections to review.

Both windows will open on May 26th, meaning that May 26th is the first day teachers will be able to see the students selected for Individual Timelapse Artifacts and begin uploading evidence. All evidence must be collected before the teacher clicks into the Student Selection step to find out which students were chosen.

The final deadline to upload evidence to the ASW Online Platform will be June 15, 2015.

Still accepting applications for ASW ReviewersInformation regarding the ASW Reviewer Application is available on the ASW Wiki (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/ReviewerApplication). Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until all content area review needs are met.

Double check those objectives!At this point in the semester, teachers should have selected the three objectives and be collecting student work. Teachers should select a total of three objectives, following the appropriate guidance issued by DPI. If you or your colleagues have questions about objective selection, please refer to the FAQ or Teacher Resources pages of the ASW Wiki. If you are unable to find the answer to your question on the ASW Wiki, please email your question to educatoreffectiveness@dpi.nc.gov.

Greetings, This email includes several announcements regarding the Standard 6 Analysis of Student Work (ASW) Process. Please read all the way to the bottom to make sure you don’t miss any important updates.

1.Recorded broadcasts of the April 6th Virtual Meeting available online. We have processed and posted the webinar broadcast from April 6th to the ASW Wiki. The presentation, materials, and activities used during the broadcast are also posted on the webinar wikipage (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/April2015VirtualMeeting), along with the recordings. Please be aware that additional materials have been added to the Teacher Resources page (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Teacher+Resources), including the updated Evidence Collection Checklist with the file formats list and the Timelapse Artifacts DOs and DON’Ts from the webinar.

2.Now accepting applications for ASW Reviewers. Information regarding the ASW Reviewer Application is available on the ASW Wiki (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/ReviewerApplication). Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, but the priority deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 1.

3.Double check those objectives! At this point in the semester, teachers should have selected the three objectives and be starting to collect student work. Teachers should select a total of three objectives, following the appropriate guidance issued by DPI. If you or your colleagues have questions about objective selection, please refer to the FAQ or Teacher Resources pages of the ASW Wiki. If you are unable to find the answer to your question on the ASW Wiki, please email your question to educatoreffectiveness@dpi.nc.gov.

The ASW Process is the Standard 6 measure of the North Carolina Educator Evaluation System for teachers in Advanced Placement, Arts Education, Healthful Living, International Baccalaureate, and World Languages. This process was developed to show how educators in these subjects contribute to the academic success of their students in accordance with Standard 6 which is focused on student growth data as opposed to Standards 1-5 which evaluate a teacher’s skills, knowledge, and behaviors. As a reviewer, you will evaluate student work samples submitted by teachers and assign an individual rating to each Timelapse Artifact plus an overall rating to the evidence collection.

In order to apply as a reviewer, you must be a fully licensed North Carolina educator with 5 or more years' experience in the content area(s) you wish to review.If selected as a reviewer candidate, you must successfully complete virtual training provided by NCDPI and be available to review Evidence Collections virtually in summer 2015. Specifically, you must be available to review Evidence Collections during the months of June - early August. Depending on the volume of Evidence Collections, NCDPI cannot guarantee that every reviewer will be assigned Evidence Collections to review.Reviewers will be paid per Evidence Collection completed.Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, but the priority deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 1, 2015.To access the ASW Reviewer Application, go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ASWreviewerapplication​

Please feel free to forward this message to all interested educators.Best,JenJennifer DeNealRace to the Top Project Coordinator for Educator Effectiveness Ph. 919-807-3288Jennifer.DeNeal@dpi.nc.gov

3/26/15 - April 6 at 9:30 a.m.: ASW Virtual Meeting

The Analysis of Student Work (ASW) Team at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) will be hosting a webinar or virtual meeting on Monday, April 6, from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

This virtual meeting will explore the ASW process and provide updates regarding 2014-2015 Year 1 Implementation, including information about:

Compiling 3 Timelapse Artifacts for the Evidence Collection,

Understanding the Blind Review Process, and

Applying to be an ASW Reviewer.

The virtual meeting broadcast will start at 9:30 a.m. and conclude by 11:30 a.m. Eastern on Monday, April 6, 2015. Please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/24573350626898433 to register for the virtual meeting. Once the registration form is submitted, connection information and reminders will be sent from the GoToWebinar system.

Participants can login beginning at 9:00 a.m. on April 6 using their connection information to be ready for the broadcast start time of 9:30 a.m., and the virtual space has been reserved until 12:00 noon in case additional time is needed.

The broadcast will be recorded and posted on the ASW wiki under Professional Development approximately one week later.

If you have questions about the ASW Process, please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the ASW wiki at http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/FAQ to see if the answer has already been posted.

If the question(s) is/are not yet there, use the form at http://bit.ly/ASWquestions to submit your question(s). You can share up to 3 questions using this form, and you are welcome to submit this Google form multiple times if you have more questions.

Questions submitted by noon on Saturday, April 4, will be answered on the ASW wiki FAQ or during the ASW Virtual Meeting on Monday, April 6.

Due to the inclement weather around the state over the past several weeks, and the resulting impact on school calendars for this semester, there will be some flexibility for objective selection to ensure teachers can complete this step of the ASW process effectively and begin collecting student work samples:

The deadline for objective selection and principal approval has been extended to Friday, March 6. You are welcome to select your 3 objectives at any time before then as well and have your principal approve them.

For 2014-2015 only: If the online platform selects two or more classes with the same state course code, the teacher may choose to use the same objective for those classes.

The ASW Online Platform is ready! Teachers can now:
1. View the classes selected for them by the online platform, and
2. Choose objectives for their classes.

Here are a few reminders concerning class and objective selection:

Class Selection

When you click into this step, the online platform will randomly select the classes in which you will need to collect evidence. The selection process is random, meaning that the platform might select multiple classes from the same grade or course.

Remember: the platform will only select classes with a minimum of 6 students on the roster.

Please note: the class selection step opened prematurely on Monday of last week, allowing a few teachers to see a group of classes selected for them. We have reset that step, meaning thatallteachers need to go back into the Class Selection Step and allow the platform to choose classes for them beginning today.

Objective Selection

After viewing the classes that have been selected by the online platform, teachers can choose their objectives, using the Strands and Standards Guidance Charts available on the Teacher Resources page of the ASW Wiki (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Teacher+Resources).

This year, teachers will only need to choose 3 objectives for the ASW process.

We’ve had requests for additional guidance on objective selection. Supplemental guidance for all content areas will be posted on the ASW Wiki Teacher Resources page and shared via the listservs.

Training Screencasts

Short, recorded screencasts for the Class Selection, Objective Selection, and Principal Approval of the Selected Objectives are available on the ASW Wiki (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts). Please review these screencasts and share with your colleagues. Viewing the screencasts is the best way to ensure that teachers and principals complete the technological aspects of the ASW Process with fidelity.

2/17/15 - Final Schedule Validation Extension

Greetings,

I hope you’re staying warm and safe today!

Due to the inclement weather around the state, we are extending the deadline to complete the final schedule validation and principal approval until Friday, February 20th. Beginning next week, teachers will be able to see which classes have been selected by the ASW Online Platform for them, and choose their objectives.

In the meantime,

Double check to ensure that all teachers who participate in the ASW Process have completed the final schedule validation and that the schedules have been approved by the Principal.

Encourage teachers to view the ASW Online Platform training Screencasts for Reviewing Classes and Choosing Objectives. These screencasts are the best way to ensure everyone completes the technological parts of the process with fidelity. The ASW Screencast page (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts) is linked under Professional Development on the ASW wiki.

Review the Strands and Standards Guidance Charts available on the ASW Wiki on the Teacher Resources page (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Teacher+Resources). Remember, all participating ASW teachers will need to choose three objectives. Supplemental guidance for Healthful Living Teachers has recently been posted on the Teacher Resources page, and some additional materials will also be available soon for World Languages.

Greetings!Thank you to the more than 4000 teachers who have already logged in to complete the final schedule validation! Below are a few clarifications and reminders regarding the final schedule validation. I will send out a message later this week with more information regarding the upcoming class selection and objective selection steps.

All participating ASW teachers must complete the final validation, even if all schedule information was correct and validated during the practice validation.

The deadline to complete the final schedule validation is Monday, February 16.

Last week, I included this information regarding “split” classes in an ASW update: “Teachers should also consider clicking “No” to split classes – those listed as one class on the roster/schedule, but actually attend class as smaller groups of students with other classes or grade levels. Teachers should discuss the decision to click “No” to these classes with their principal.” There’s been some confusion on what qualifies as a “split” class. Please see the table below for examples and non-examples of split classes.

Split Class

NOT Split Classes

An elementary teacher has 6 kindergarten classes. Five classes come once a week as a whole class, but the sixth class is split up and 3-4 students from that sixth class attend with each of the other classes.

One period of Band with Intermediate, Proficient, and Advanced students meeting together.

One class period with French 3 and French 4 students meeting together.

Please feel free to share this message with your colleagues.Jennifer DeNealRace to the TopProject Coordinator for Educator EffectivenessPh. 919-807-3288Jennifer.DeNeal@dpi.nc.gov

2/10/15 - NCEES/ASW Access

Over the weekend, a PowerSchool upgrade caused the NCEES button to disappear from the PowerSchool screen. The information below describes two alternative methods for accessing the NCEES (and ASW) system.

Method 1: Accessing NCEES through SchoolNet1. Login to PowerSchool as usual and choose the SchoolNet link under the Navigation Link on the left of the screen (located on the very bottom). 2. Click the Home Base NC Educator Effectiveness Link, located on the left side of the screen. This should direct you to the NCEES site.3. Click on the ASW tab to complete the final schedule validation.

Method 2: Accessing NCEES through the backdoor login1. Click on this alternate login link: https://ncees.homebase.ncpublicschools.gov/alternateLogin.html2. The username should be your UID. The password is set up by each teacher and may or may not be the same as your regular PowerSchool password. Please feel free to share this information with your colleagues.

Thank you all for supporting ASW teachers in your district and for fielding lots of questions over the past few days. I have confirmed with our vendor that we have identified the problems associated with missing and duplicate schedules. The vendor is resolving both issues, and the ASW online platform will be ready for teachers to complete the final validation beginning on Friday, February 6.

Timeline Adjustment

In order to make sure there is sufficient time for teachers and principals to complete the final schedule validation, we are extending the deadline for the final validation until Monday, February 16.

Beginning February 16, teachers will be able to see which classes have been selected by the online platform and begin choosing objectives/collecting evidence.

Validation Reminders

1. On the validation screen, teachers will see the following for each class: State Course Title, State Course Code, Section Number, Term, School Code

2. Itinerant teachers should click “Yes” to classes at the home base school, and click “No” to classes at any other locations.

3. Teachers should also consider clicking “No” to split classes – those listed as one class on the roster, but actually attend class as smaller groups of students with other classes or grade levels. Teachers should discuss the decision to click “No” to these classes with their principal.

4. The schedule validation screencast is available on the ASW Wiki Screencast Page. Please note this screencast has not yet been updated to reflect the addition of the State Course Code on the validation screen. (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts)

Please feel free to share this message with others.

Thanks!

Jen

Jennifer DeNeal
Race to the Top
Project Coordinator for Educator Effectiveness

2/2/15 - ASW Schedule Validation Update

Greetings,

You are receiving this communication because you have been designated as the ASW Contact for your district.

This morning, due to the efforts of teachers logging in to complete the final schedule validation, we discovered a minor scheduling issue which is causing some teachers to see duplicate courses.

Truenorthlogic is working to fix this issue quickly. Out of respect your time, and your teachers’ time, I’m requesting that teachers wait to complete the final validation until we have resolved this issue. I expect to have the scheduling issue resolved by the end of the week. I will inform you as soon as the issue has been fixed and when teachers should go back into the NCEES/ASW system. At that time, we will adjust the ASW timeline accordingly to give everyone plenty of time to complete the final validation.

1/26/15 - Deadline to Correct ASW Schedules EXTENDED

Greetings,

Thank you to everyone who has been working diligently to complete the practice validation and to ensure that course codes and scheduling information is correct for ASW teachers in PowerSchool. Based on the feedback we have received throughout the practice schedule validation, we are extending the deadline for course/scheduling corrections in PowerSchool to 12:00 noon on Wednesday, January 28th.Any changes made after the deadline will not be reflected in the ASW system.

Due to this extension, the final schedule validation will begin on Monday, February 2, 2015.

As always, thank you all very much for your patience as we close out the practice validation and move forward into the remainder of the ASW process this year!

Best,Jen

1/20/15 - ASW Update 1.20.15

Thank you to everyone who has been logging in to the Analysis of Student Work (ASW) online platform to complete the practice schedule validation. Your feedback has been incredibly valuable in helping to address questions that have come up as part of the practice validation. Here are some updates that should be helpful for those who have not yet completed the practice schedule validation:

Issue: Teachers who cannot see their schedule information in the ASW System at all.

Explanation: NCDPI pulled schedules for ASW teachers on January 7th. If any schedule information was incorrect at that time (i.e. not entered into PowerSchool using a course on the Courses Valid for ASW Participation list – available here: http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Teacher+Resources) then the teacher may not be able to view all or parts of their schedule in the ASW online platform.

Solution: Teachers who are currently unable to see any schedule data in the ASW system should check their schedule in PowerSchool to ensure that the course codes are correct. These teachers will not be able to complete the practice validation, but will be able to complete the final schedule validation provided that their schedules are correct in PowerSchool.

January 26 is the final deadline to correct course code information in PowerSchool. Any changes made after January 26 will not be reflected in the ASW system.

Issue: Course codes are not visible in ASW online platform

Explanation: TNL matched the course codes valid for 2014-2015 ASW participation to the state course titles, and the ASW online platform displays the state course titles, course section number, term, and school code for the practice validation.

Solution: Please verify that you are using the correct state course titles either by viewing the Courses Valid for 2014-2015 ASW Participation spreadsheet (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Teacher+Resources) and the state course titles next to the course codes, or, by comparing your PowerSchool schedule to the ASW class validation page. Instructions and a demonstration of schedule validation in the ASW online platform are available here on the ASW Wiki Screencast page (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts) and are directly linked here: Screencast & Script

Note: in the final schedule validation, both the state course code and state course title will be visible to teachers

TO: ASW Stakeholders, Content Area Coordinator Listservs, Content Area Teacher ListservsRE:ASW Information for 1/15-1/22 Practice Schedule ValidationGood afternoon,As posted on the ASW Timeline (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/14-15Implementation), the practice class schedule validation for ASW will begin this Thursday, January 15.Teachers will be able to log into the NCEES platform and perform the practice schedule validation from January 15 – January 22. It is important that teachers log into the platform and complete the practice validation to ensure that scheduling information is correct. The online platform will be ready for teachers to begin the practice validation on January 15.

PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COMPLETE THE SCHEDULE VALIDATION STEP BEFORE JANUARY 15.DPI has created a brief screencast (approximately 7 minutes long) to demonstrate how to validate the class schedule. This screencast and accompanying script have been posted to the ASW Wiki and can be accessed here: http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts.For questions regarding the ASW Process, please check the Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ on the ASW Wikispace athttp://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/FAQ. If your ASW question is not yet on the FAQ, email it to educatoreffectiveness@dpi.nc.gov.Stay warm and safe!JenJennifer DeNealRace to the TopProject Coordinator for Educator EffectivenessPh. 919-807-3288Jennifer.DeNeal@dpi.nc.gov

1/8/15 - ASW PD Resources

The Analysis of Student Work (ASW) Implementation will begin in mid-January with the practice validation of 2nd semester schedules. An updated ASW Timeline will be available tomorrow on the ASW Wikispace under 2014-2015 Implementation (**http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/14-15Implementation**).The ASW professional development (PD) resources continue to grow, and here is some information about the newest resources for teachers to use in local training or individually:·Online Modules – Four of the five online modules are available now at **http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/OnlineModules**and include:

Module 4 - Context was posted on January 2nd and contains information about the narrative context that teachers will provide with the Timelapse Artifacts. Content-specific examples from the 2nd pilot will be posted soon, and the 1st pilot examples are still accessible.

Module 3 – Capturing 2 Points in Time was posted on November 13th and has information about how evidence for Point 1 and Point 2 might be collected for Timelapse Artifacts.

Content-specific examples from the 2nd pilot for AP/IB, Arts Education, Healthful Living, and World Languages are available on the ASW Process Google Drive Module 3 folder at **http://goo.gl/ZeBDfT**. All of these examples demonstrate growth from Point 1 to Point 2 and include the objective chosen by the teacher.

Additional content-specific examples will be posted to this folder in the future.

·Screencasts – Teacher feedback from across the state indicated a need for screencasts as a way to quickly answer questions about ASW. The screencasts are short mp4 files, include a script for reading, and are posted on the Screencast page at **http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts**.

The ASW Process screencasts posted to date include:

What is the ASW Process?

Who uses the ASW Process? (K-8 Teachers and the 45-minute rule; High School Teachers and the 60% rule)

How do I verify my course codes for the ASW Process? (Overview and Examples for World Languages)

5 additional screencasts on the ASW Process are being planned and those topics are posted on the Screencast page.

The ASW Online Platform screencasts will be out soon. Step 1: Validate Class Schedule will be available next week on Thursday, January 15th.

12/19/14 - ASW Holiday Update!

To: ASW StakeholdersRe: ASW Holiday Update!

ASW Implementation is still on schedule for January 2015. ASW schedule validation will take place in mid-January, and teachers will only be required to collect 3 Timelapse Artifacts instead of 5 for their 2014-2015 Evidence Collections.

Feel free to forward this email as needed. As always, please let me know if you have questions or need any further clarification.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

9/26/14 - ASW Implementation Extended to January 2015

To: ASW StakeholdersRe: ASW Implementation Extended to January 2015

Due to technology issues and the need for more training time, the ASW Implementation will be extended to January 2015. ASW schedule validation will take place in January, and teachers will only be required to collect 3 Timelapse Artifacts instead of 5 for their 2014-2015 Evidence Collections.